1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel joint treatment method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Where interior sheets such as flooring are laid, there is formed a butt joint portion in which respective edges of the adjoining interior sheets face each other. The butt joint portion is a portion in which the edges of the interior sheets abut against one another or face each other with a very small gap therebetween. Such an abutted portion constitutes an opening through which water would penetrate and then infiltrate into a flooring substrate. To cope with this, treatment for forming a joined portion (referred to hereinbelow as “joint treatment”) which plays the role of integrally joining the interior sheets is performed in the butt joint portion.
Various methods have been heretofore suggested for the joint treatment. For example, there is a method in which a butt joint portion of interior sheets is grooved with a cutter or groove cutter, the sheets are welded through a welding rod in the groove, and then the resultant excess material is cut off so as to obtain a finished product with a smooth surface.
Further, a method for installing a flooring material joint is known in which flooring materials are attached to an underlayment with an adhesive interposed, an adhesive tape is attached to the flooring material surface so as to cover the upper part of a joint having a gap of a predetermined width which is formed between the attached flooring materials, an incision is formed along the joint in the adhesive tape, an injection nozzle for injecting a seam sealer is inserted in the incision in the adhesive tape, the seam sealer is injected into the joint with the injection nozzle being moved along the incision in the adhesive tape, and then the adhesive tape is peeled off (Japanese Patent No. 3388960).
Meanwhile, there are interior sheets available in which a protective layer made up of an ionizing radiation curable resin, such as an ultraviolet radiation curable resin, is formed on the interior sheet so as to protect the surface thereof (floor surface, or the like) (Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2002-105874 and 2014-84685). When conducting construction using such interior sheets having a protective layer on the surface thereof, joint treatment is also performed using a seam sealer.